FAA Scolds Boeing Over Door Plug Decompression Incident

The agency says the emergency situation "should have never happened."

Thursday, January 11, 2024 at 03:21 PM ET

Verified

The FAA is investigating an incident in which an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 lost a door plug in flight. [Courtesy: NTSB]

Key Takeaways:

The FAA has launched a formal investigation into Boeing, suspecting the company failed to ensure its 737 Max 9 aircraft conformed to approved designs and were safe for operation.
This investigation stems from a January 5 incident where an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 lost a door plug mid-flight, leading to the immediate grounding of the model nationwide.
The FAA emphasizes that grounded 737-9 Max aircraft will not return to service until thoroughly inspected and deemed safe, prioritizing public safety over speed.
The agency also noted "additional discrepancies on other Boeing 737-9 airplanes," reinforcing concerns about Boeing's manufacturing practices and quality control.

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“This incident should have never happened, and it cannot happen again.”

Those words come from a statement from the FAA, which announced Thursday that it has formally notified Boeing that it is conducting “an investigation to determine if [the company] failed to ensure completed products conformed to its approved design and were in a condition for safe operation in compliance with FAA regulations.”